Dai Dogyu Chisel Hammer, 10.58 oz. / 300g

This is marketed as a chisel hammer. But it’s also a good Japanese plane hammer. For chisels I would recommend something wooden and larger head. The quality is very good and the weight and balance feels nice in the hand. I use it on my hand planes and it works very well.

the hammer head is 3 3/8 inches (8.6cm) long: striking head width 7/8 inches (2.3cm) wide, one inch (2.5) high. handle is 12 7/8 inches (33.1cm) long. the head shape reminds me of the Memorial of the USS Arizona. i've have dogyu hammers and i am pleased of their professional quality. this hammer is none the difference. i am very pleased. shipping was spot on and amazingly the USPS delivered it on time.

Love this hammer, seems well made and quite light. This is the 300 gram one, there is a heavier one, but I think this one is a great starter hammer for adjusting a Japanese plane blade or hitting a chisel. It has a nice shape to the handle which is light and easily held in the hand. The hammer head has two different face shapes: one is flat and the other is slightly convex, or slightly domed. The flat side is to drive nails, chisels, and other normal hammer needs. The convex side is used to actually set nails slightly into the wood, and also to slightly distress the wood when fitting a mortise and tenon joint. It will temporarily allow the wood to be compressed, but later will expand and make for a tight fitting joint.

For the price, I think it offers a pretty good value, especially for someone like myself who is curious about Japanese woodworking tools, but doesn't want to sink a lot of money into something 'just to see the difference between it and a western style tool'.So why only 4 stars? While the fit and finish is not great, and shouldn't be at this price point, the wedge holding the head to the handle is hanging out close to 1/4" on mine. The wedge is also quite sharp... I managed to cut myself on it removing the hammer from the wrapping material it was shipped in. I can fix these defects with a minimum of fuss though, so it's not a huge deal and I really wasn't expecting much going in due to the huge cost difference between this and some of the other hammers out there.

True concave & convex opposite ends of steel head; bevel strike not driven completely in leaving room so as use may loosen head so I can drive bevel in deeper as needed, head Secure already though. Solid, strong but light handle, comfortable & well balanced... Nice to buy a tool worth something...!!! Thanks

I got this as an impulse purchase with my first Japanese plane and set of chisels... seemed unnecessary, but marginally justified with the plane. And yes, for chisels or J. planes, it has just the right heft and balance, and allows very controlled adjustments to the planes. As it should... designed specifically for that, I assume. I can't imagine using a conventional hammer for these uses. In sum, very happy I got it!

Having a medium sized hand this hammer fits it very well. I have used it to chop dovetails with my Japanese chisels and they seem to be a perfect match. Holding the handle two-three inches back from the head gives a good balance in my hand and excellent force to give clean cuts without beating on the chisels. Have not tried it yet on chisels without a ferruled handle, but I assume it would not damage them because of the limmited amount of force being applied with each blow - time will tell. Needless to say I am pleased with the product, particularly considering the price.

Problem is with the wedge holding the handle to the head - came loose, and because of size, wedge cannot be driven in to tighten.